Ruth recommends: Anthony Trollope was a contemporary of Charles Dickens. While lesser known than Dickens, in my opinion, he was every bit as good. He wrote part-time while working as a Postal officer during the day. Remarkably, he wrote 38 novels, all by hand and early in the morning before his postal rounds. Perhaps his most famous book is “The Way We Live Now,” which is literally a timeless classic. The book is about a financier who swindles British Aristocrats. The name of the main character is Melmotte, but the book is so contemporary you would think you are reading about Bernie Madoff.